1918 Larkin Co Factory Tour Buffalo NY

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UR TRIP THRU THE

LftRKIN FACTORIES

This little book is your picture-and-prose
Trip Thru the Larkin Factories at Buffalo.
If you have made the trip in person, this is
our Souvenir of your visit. If we have not
yet received you here, please accept this,
our hearty invitation to visit us*

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The Larkin Administration Building, known to millions of
American housewives as “The Home of the Larkin Idea1

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YOUR. TRIP THRU THE LRRKIN FACTORIES

was evening in the Bright home. Mr. Bright was reading his evening paper. Mrs. Bright was
engaged on one of those endless pieces of work she always has waiting in her sewing-basket. And
as she sewed her mind strayed towards the duties of the morrow, chief among which was the
week s shopping.

Shopping was not an unmixed joy to Mrs. Bright because she often felt that her money did not
bring a sufficient return. She had long thought there should be some better way of purchasing supplies
for the home, than the usual method of buying at stores. Store-prices steadily advanced — but the only change in her
household allowance was an occasional reduction !

She sighed as she said to herself, “I wish I knew a way to cut our living expenses without pinching our table. But

I suppose— WHY, OF COURSE!"

Mr. Bright looked over his paper and asked humorously, “Of course, what?" And Mrs. Bright smiled as she said,
“I have just thought of something I meant to tell you days ago!”

“The other day, Mrs. Thrifty called, and gave me a Larkin Catalog. It is a most interesting book. It shows a
way to get practically everything I need in the way of foods, soaps, laundry-, kitchen-, toilet- and drug-store-supplies

direct from the Larkin Factories; and in addition — as Premiums — lots of things we need in our home! Wait, 1*11 show
you the Catalog.”

And Mrs. Bright hastened away to get the Catalog, for she had seen just the faintest trace of a smile on Mr.
Bright's face— and she knew that the Catalog would have to 44 show" her husband, first.

Page 3

Page 4

RS. BRIGHT ignored her husband’s quizzical smile, and showed him the Larkin

M Catalog. He saw the list of over 600 different home supplies, observed how

reasonably they were priced, and that everything was unconditionally guaranteed
I I “Satisfaction — or Your Money Back.** s"" *

“Does Mrs. Thrifty buy these goods?” said he.. “She does indeed,” said-
Mrs. Bright, “ and likes them very much. As for the Premiums, I found that the
lovely Dining Table she got recently was from Larkin Co.— given to her with her
purchases of Larkin Products. You know what a splendid Table it is.

And then Mr. and Mrs. Bright “talked it over.” But it was that 30
Trial Offer, that impelled a decision. Mr. Bright said, “Send a $10 Larkin
Select only the things you now buy at stores, and examine them carefully
come. If they are all right, we’ll send the $10 — if they are not,
well return the goods. We can’t lose anyway.” “And what shall
we choose as a Premium?” said Mrs. Bright. This took a long
time to decide, for the Larkin Catalog contained so many enticing
Premiums it was difficult to make a selection. But eventually they
chose a handsome Mission Rocker.

The next day Mrs. Bright made up her order for $10 worth
of Larkin Products. It was easy indeed to make up a $10 order,
without including a single unnecessary article; in fact, the difficulty
was to confine the order to $10 for there were so many Larkin
Products she really needed. But at last the order was made up
and mailed. She sent no money with it but merely stated that she
desired the goods on “30 Days’ Trial.”

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The order
live red

Mrs. Bright
reads the invitation
to visit the Larkin
Factories

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FEW days later two packages were delivered at the Bright home. One was
a box of Larkin Products, and the other a crate containing a Rocker. Which
do you think Mrs. Bright opened first? The crated Rocker, of course!

She soon had it unpacked, and was delighted with it. It was not
until she opened the box of Larkin Products, examined them all care-
and compared them with the store-purchases in her pantry, that
she realized just how much more she had purchased for
$10 through the Larkin Plan, than she received for $10 at stores.

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As she put the Products in their proper places in the pantry, the words, “You
are invited/’ on one of the cartons, caught her eye. She read closely Larkin Co/s
invitation to visit the Larkin Factories. Right there Mrs. Bright resolved to
accept and learn more of this method of securing for one’s self the profits of
middlemen and retailers. It was a happy moment, for she saw a way, a clear,
easy way, to give to her home and dear ones things she had long wanted for

without adding to her present expenses.

That night when her husband came home she showed him the Products and
the lovely Premium. Mr. Bright was pleasantly surprised and man-like immedi¬
ately began poring over the Catalog in search of Premiums suited to his own par¬
ticular needs. Before bedtime he had made up a list which included some
Tools, a Gun, Fishing-Tackle, Camera, Bicycle, Sweater, Rain-Coat, etc.

It was now Mrs. Bright’s turn to smile, but she did so discreetly, not to
dampen his enthusiasm. When she suggested a little vacation to see the
Larkin Factories and Niagara Falls, Mr. Bright said, “ Go, my dear, by all
means. Let us take full advantage of the Larkin Factory-to-Family Plan, now
that we know it to be good/’

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Page 7

Mrs. Bright
journeys to
Buffalo

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And is cor
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FEW days later Mrs, Bright bade good-bye to her home town and journeyed
to Buffalo. As the train drew into the Queen City she saw the huge Larkin

, Visitors entering Buffalo on the various Railroads, pass within
short distance of the Larkin Factories, and can not fail to
notice them.

On arriving at the depot, an information clerk told her how
to get to the Larkin Factories. It was a ten minutes’ ride, and soon Mrs. Bright
stood in front of the Factories. Before starting on The Trip Thru The Factories
she proceeded to the beautiful Larkin Administration Building where she was
courteously welcomed, as one of the little army of 60,000 people who visit us

each year.

These visitors are of all kinds. A party of distinguished foreigners
may be succeeded by the members of a prominent Woman’s Guild; social
economists mingle with day excursionists; eminent lecturers walk side by side
with the enthusiastic housewife; classes of school children from the city schools
with their teachers, young and aged men, the mother with her family, and
the young bride — all are received here with courteous attention.

During a single week we have had visitors from the following: Pratt Insti¬
tute, Brooklyn, N. Y.; University of Buffalo; Colgate University; Liman Sem¬
inary, Philadelphia, Pa,; Cornell University; Buffalo State Normal School.

The following letter was received from Prof. Smith, who was in charge
of the Colgate University class : “We enjoyed every minute of our stay with
you and certainly will not be afraid to use Larkin Products, whether to eat

or to wash our faces.”

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Main Court of the Administration Building

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RS, BRIGHT will not soon forget her first glimpse of the great central court of
the Administration Building, flooded with sunlight. It seemed to her that the
men and women working there were exceptionally favored. But when she
stood on the fifth floor, and looked down from “Inspiration Point” upon
the galleries and the great main floor below, she understood why the
Larkin Administration Building is so immaculate and radiant with
light, that it is known as one of the most wonderful and efficient
office buildings in the world.

All the desks are of steel with fire-proof composition tops; the metal chairs
have leather seats and backs, and swing from the desks free of the floor. This is
merely one of the hundreds of labor- and cost-saving devices which are used
throughout the building. The aim behind the design, construction and equipment
of the Administration Building is the comfort and convenience of the 1 400 and
more men and women who labor there. It is absolutely fire-proof, and has many
features of distinct originality.

Despite other wonderful sights they may have seen, no visitor has yet looked
from “Inspiration Point,” without an exclamation of pleasure. As Mrs. Bright
stood there she said, “This alone is worth the journey.”

In the Larkin Auditorium which adjoins the Administration Building,

Mrs. Bright enjoyed a little luncheon, which was not only very acceptable in
itself and a convincing proof of the excellence of Larkin Products, but also
promoted sociability among the group of visitors. Over sixty thousand
visitors have refreshments in this Auditorium every year as the guests of
Larkin Co., carrying away pleasant memories of Larkin hospitality.

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Dictating

letters

into

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Receiving: and sorting the mail

Examining and checking orders

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0 adequately picture the different Departments of the Administration Build¬
ing would require a whole album of views and even then do but
scant justice to it. The illustrations opposite show where the mail is
received, opened, sorted and despatched to the various sections of the
building.

The small picture in the middle illustrates the Larkin method of
dictating letters to the phonograph, thus insuring accuracy and speed.

The wax cylinders on which the records are made go to the type- writing
department where the letters are reproduced, after the manner of ordi¬
nary phonographic records, except that instead of a horn being used the
sound is carried softly to the ears of the typist by a tube connected with
the sound-box.

The picture to the right of it shows half of a floor occupied by the Order
Department. Here orders from Larkin customers are carefully examined and
checked, and the purchasers’ questions answered by skilled correspondents.

The windows (shown along the left side of the picture) and the openings
into the central court (shown on the right) provide splendid lighting facilities
for the building. The artificial light is so arranged and is of such a nature
as to fairly approximate daylight.

Mrs. Bright was interested in watching the way in which her own
order had been handled only a few days previously. The big, spacious
office, prosperous, skilled workers, modern eq uipment, and the air of bright¬
ness, contentment and happiness in every section of the huge building,
made her feel that here were people whose endeavor was to aid and
co-operate with the customer.

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Premium section of Showroom

Where Products are displayed

Register-
in g the
visitors

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EAVING the Administration Building, Mrs. Bright paused a moment beside
the fountain at the entrance. The wide fluted sheet of water flows from a
tablet on which is inscribed, “Honest Labor Needs No Master, Simple
Justice Needs No Slaves/' She then went across Seneca Street, and joined
a group of other visitors in the Showrooms who were
gathering there to take the Trip Thru the Factories.

In the Showroom Larkin Products and Pre¬
miums are displayed for all to see. An examination of the different
displays reveals the amazing scope of Larkin Products, for there is
scarcely anything a woman needs, be she maid or matron, which is not
shown here. One sees all the hundred and one things dear to the
feminine heart, from a hairpin to a white lawn tea apron, in addition
to the regular supplies for the home such as foods, soaps, teas, spices,
polish es, notions, hardware sundries, etc.

Mrs. Bright realized more than ever before that Larkin Products are
essentially the things sold by stores, and that in becoming a “Larkinite”
she was not increasing her present expenses — but merely spending her
necessary household allowance in a wiser way, getting far more for her
money. When making up her $ 1 0 order she was surprised to find how
many Larkin Products she needed. But when she saw them all dis¬
played before her, and noted their quality and price, she understood
why two million families get their household supplies from Larkin Co.

Larkin Premiums, too, were a source of delight to Mrs. Bright.

She resolved that when the Factory Trip was over, she would go over
the Catalog, and examine the Premiums she needed in her home.

Page 15

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“Under
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Portion of Food-testing Laboratory

Portion of General Research Laboratory

It was made very clear both here, and at other points throughout the
Factory Trip, that the Larkin Co. believes in unending vigilance in maintaining
its own Standards of quality and purity. In this connection it is worthy of note
that long before Uncle Sam instituted the Pure Food Law the Larkin Co. had
set up its own Standard, which was more than sufficient to meet the demands
of Uncle Sam’s inspectors after the Pure Food Law became effective.

Equally vigilant is the Inspection Department, to which are sent samples
taken from all inbound shipments.

ND now a guide appeared and led the party into the Factories proper. A moment
later Mrs. Bright found herself Stepping from the commodious elevator into a
railed space which commanded a view of a seemingly endless array of labora¬
tories. There was room after room filled with wonderful instruments
and equipment. The guide explained that each staff of skilled chemists
is constantly engaged in testing raw materials and ingredients, in order
to insure and maintain the Larkin standard of purity and quality.

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Mrs. Bright saw the laboratory in which the formulas for Larkin Perfumes
are worked out. She looked with interest into the Pharmaceutical Laboratory
which controls the manufacture of the many different Larkin Pharmacal Prod¬
ucts. The huge, glittering equipment of the Food-TeSting Laboratory where
all Larkin Food Products are rigidly inspected and analyzed, seemed to give
one a feeling of security, as did the General Research Laboratory where
textiles, fabrics, jewelry, steam-coal and everything coming into, or leaving
the Larkin Factories, are tested or analyzed, and the Oils and Fats Labora¬
tory where the oils and fats are tested.

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Giving

Macaroni

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The Larkin Noodle Knead er

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the other

HE manufacture of Larkin Noodles and Short-Cut Macaroni interested Mrs.
Bright. There is no mystery about it, for the Larkin Co. throws its doors
wide open so that all may see. Noodles and Macaroni are made by auto¬
matic machinery, and at no time are the materials touched by human hands—
it is merely a, matter of pulling a lever and starting a machine. The mechan¬
ically-mixed noodle-dough enters at one end, and the noodles come out of

Larkin Noodles are made from flour prepared especially by one of the world’s
largest and best flour mills. It is really the cream of excellent grain.

Short-Cut Macaroni is a very popular Larkin Product. This dainty edible calls
for extreme care, skill, and a high-grade flour. Only the best macaroni flour obtain¬
able is used in the manufacture of Larkin Macaroni. Scientifically-filtered water,
properly controlled temperature, and careful mixing are a few of the details which
must be supervised. The flour-and- water paste is conducted to the rolling kneader
where it is converted into smooth dough. The dough is cut into 3-foot lengths and
put through a cylinder.

Within the cylinder, pressure is used to drive the macaroni -dough through
perforations in a copper-plate die, so that it emerges in hollow sticks. There
is a wire in the center of each perforation and the dough is forced around it.

When Mrs. Bright saw these wires she said they had solved a problem for
her — she had often wondered how the holes in macaroni were made !

The revolving knife shown in the small picture on page 18 cuts the
hollow sticks into short lengths as they emerge from the perforations.

Page 19

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Packaging

Spices

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the process shown in our picture Larkin Baking Powder is mixed on the
floor above, and lowered by gravity. , Machinery is used throughout the
whole process of manufacture, and the powder is not touched by hand.
Larkin Baking Powder and other powders are prepared in our own Factories
and sent direct to the consumer fresh and wholesome. Larkin customers
s have the satisfaction of knowing that our Products have

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not lain on grocers* shelves for weeks or months.

Puddings are a popular feature of Larkin Pure Food Products. A quart of
milk and a package of Larkin Chocolate, Lemon, Orange or Vanilla Pudding,
makes a delicious dish. They may be served in many attractive ways; with
fruit, whipped cream, plain cream. Larkin Puddings are known and esteemed
by housewives from coast to coast.

The Larkin Spice mills are particularly interesting, and though enclosed within
glass partitions the visitor can see enough of the different processes to understand
the care taken to keep the spices free from dust and foreign matter of all
kinds. Here are packed Allspice, Nutmeg, Ginger, Mustard, Cloves, Cinna¬
mon, Pepper (Black, White and Cayenne). An electric dust-collector absorbs
all dust and dirt, and keeps the air of the packing room fresh and clean.

* Larkin Co. imports the whole spices, inspects them very carefully before
they are shipped to Buffalo, and again on arrival. It uses the finest modem
machinery for cleaning the spices before they enter the grinding-mills. It is
impossible for impurities of any kind to enter Larkin Spices.

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Bottling Larkin Prepared Mustard

Bottling Peanut Butter

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EANUT Butter is an appetizing substitute for creamery butter. Larkin Co.
brings from the South thousands of sacks of hand-picked, shelled raw peanuts.
The peanuts are fir& roasted, and afterwards cleaned and blanched. F rora
the mechanical cleaner they are led on a broad revolving belt between
two rows of experienced workers who inspect them carefully, and remove
any foreign matter which escapes the picking machine. They are
then salted, and put through a grinding-machine, where being rich in
oil, they speedily become transformed into peanut butter.

Larkin Mustard is ground and prepared from the beft grade of mustard seed.

To this is added spices and vinegar, and the whole skilfully compounded to make
Larkin Prepared Mustard, a deservedly popular Product. The absence of handling
is a point of great importance in the preparation of modern foodstuffs and one to
which the American housewife is paying a great deal of attention. This cleanly,
modern method is splendidly exemplified in the making of all Larkin goods.

eir excellence and high quality are further safeguarded by the careful
testing to which all articles made in the Larkin Factories are subjected, and
by the rigorous inspections which articles, purchased for our use from outside
sources, undergo.

The best evidence of the genuine merits of Larkin Products and the
ideal conditions under which they are made, is the fact that those who make
them habitually purchase them. Mrs. Bright was shown how the great
majority of the 3 500 Larkin employees in Buffalo voluntarily purchase Larkin
Products — especially Larkin Food Products — in preference to all others, and
learned that this is also true with Larkin Premiums.

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The first Larkin Factory
of 1875 consisted of two
floors 25 x 60 feet each,
with a total area of 3000
sauare feet.

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The present gigantic Larkin Factories contain over 75 acres of floor spac
a million American homes. The great building on the extreme left of tl

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become a national institution supplying the needs of over
our Terminal Warehouse which is described on page 45

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way in which the Larkin business has grown from the “Larkin Soap
Co.” into the “Larkin Factory-to-Family Plan” is aptly illustrated by a
glance through the pages of our Catalog devoted to Larkin Toilet Prepa¬
rations. This department is responsible for 35 different Products, including
Complexion and other Creams, Toilet Powders of various kinds,
Dentifrices, Hair Tonic, Bay Rum, Egg Shampoo, Smelling Salts, Bath
Salts, etc. The list includes almost, if not everything required for the

toilet of the refined man or woman.

The offerings of high-class drug-stores are paralleled by the Larkin Toilet Prepara¬
tions, with this one point of difference — that Larkin Products, though equal, indeed

Premium- value

to consider it,

often superior, to the offerings of high-class stores, bring you
besides, without extra cost. A big gain when you stop
isn’t it?

same unbending standard of purity, and quality, and strict truthful¬
ness in description, that characterizes all Larkin Products, is found in Larkin
Toilet Preparations. Our Catalog sets forth the various uses of the different
Products, and in some instances states the ingredients from which they are
made.

The illustrations on the opposite page show a section of our Factories
engaged in the manufacture and packing of Larkin Toilet Preparations. Note
the mechanical devices, the absence of handling, and the scrupulous cleanli¬
ness. These features attracted Mrs. Bright s particular attention, and pleased
her so much that she said,, “Henceforth none but Larkin Toilet Prepara¬
tions for me.”

Page 27

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Storage Vault for Materials from which Perfumes are Made

Storage Tanks for Perfumes, Toilet Waters, etc.

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HE Perfumery Strong-room or Vault is always an object of interest to visitors,
since it is filled with valuable essences, oils and pomades from all over the
world. Within this little steel-and-iron-bound room are stored highly con¬
centrated perfume stocks and materials, small in size but large in value.
The nine small coppers shown on this page hold 625 ounces of Oil of
Rose, technically known as Attar of Roses. The money value of
this oil is $ \ 0,000- -as Mrs. Bright said : a mighty small space for
so much money.” Note the seals of the Bulgarian government, and the quaint fashion
in which the coppers are wrapped in felt. The contents of this vault usually represents
over a quarter of a million dollars.

Larkin Perfumes are bottled by hand, as shown in the small picture. Larkin Co.
is the largest user of 1 -ounce perfumery bottles in the world. Having
found it impossible to supply itself with satisfactory bottles elsewhere, the
Company runs its own bottle factory at Greensburg, Pa. We refer the
reader to our Catalog, for full details of the different Perfumes and Toilet
Waters made here.

As a result of the skill exercised in the Larkin Perfumery Laboratory,
and the experience gained in producing just the right combination of delicacy,
fragrance and concentrated strength, this section of the Larkin Factories is
constantly engaged in an endeavor to meet the steadily increasing demand.

Larkin Perfumes are appreciated by women of refinement all over the country.

The lower photograph on page 28 shows the storage tanks in which
Perfumes, Toilet Waters, Flavoring Extracts, etc., are stored. The unusual
delicacy and fragrance of these Products have made them deservedly popular
from coast to coast.

Page 29

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Page 30

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NLY the best procurable grade of fine Vanilla beans is used
in making Larkin Vanilla Extract. The beans are chopped,
then ground, and the ground mass agitated in liquids which
remove most of the vanilla extract from the beans. Such
portion as remains is absorbed in percolators, in which the
extracting liquor slowly percolates through the mass,
carrying with it the rest of the vanilla. The extract is then
conveyed to steel glass-lined storage tanks, each of which holds over 3,000
gallons. In these tanks the extract is aged and seasoned, before being bottled.

The battery of bottling-machines shown on the opposite page is decid¬
edly interesting. Each machine fills from 15,000 to 20,000 bottles a day!
Pipes connect the machines with storage tanks on the floor above, and the
fluids pass to them by gravity. A row of a dozen nozzles drop into the
necks of as many bottles, all of which are filled at one operation. Most Larkin
liquid products (except Perfumes) are bottled by machines of this kind.

The stamping-machine shown on the opposite page is used in the
manufacture of Soda Mint, Charcoal, Cough and other Pharmacal Tablets,
Here again, in this Department one sees how freely marvelously-emcient
modern machinery is employed in the reduction of manufacturing costs,
and the maintenance of a rigid standard of purity and quality.

The illustration at the right of this page shows a tea filling-machine.
Larkin Tea is selected from the principal tea-centers of the world, and
is imported direct by the Company, and tested and inspected in our own
Factories by a Larkin tea-expert. Its superior quality commends it to dis- .
criminating tea-drinkers everywhere.

*Page 3J

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One of 15 hujje soap kettles, in which 576,00
lhs. of soap are produced at a single boiling

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HERE les in the Larkin Factories. The illustration on page

32 shows one of the larger kettles which rises through four floors. In
this kettle 376,000 pounds of soap are produced at a single boiling.
Within the kettle are 1 J4 niiles of 2-inch steam-pipe, which
furnish the necessary heat. To fill, boil and empty a kettle
of this size requires about 14 days.

When a kettle is to be filled, the materials are pumped
into it through pipes from a storage tank. The kettle is not filled to its

capacity, as lye and tallow are not inclined to join forces on first acquaint¬
ance, so small quantities of each are gradually admitted, and under the
melting influence of the steam they form a union.

From the kettles, finally, the soap is pumped to the “crutchers.” There
are many of these machines, each equipped with a whirling screw, some¬
thing like a ship’s propeller, which rapidly stirs the melted soap and accom¬
plishes in about 1 5 minutes, what used to take hours of work with a hand-
paddle or ‘ ‘crutch.” When the soap has been “crutched” it is poured into
iron frames, mounted on wheeled bases. Each frame has a capacity oi 1 200
lbs. and when the soap has solidified, the sides and ends of the frames are
removed, and the 1 200-lb. block is wheeled into the cooling-room. Later,
it is cut into slabs by an electrically-driven machine, which draws tightly-
stretched piano-wire through the block of soap. The slabs are then cut
into bars, placed on racks, and loaded on cars ready for the drying-
room. The illustration below shows a car entering the drying-room.
On emerging, the bars are pressed, stamped, and afterwards wrapped
or cartoned ready for shipment.

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ARKIN Sweet Home Soap, known in millions of homes, is packed in cartons of
ten bars each. As the bars come from the automatic stamping-machine, they
drop on a moving belt, and pass between two rows of packers who assemble
them in two heaps of five bars each, place a carton over them, tilt it,
and fold in the open end. The filled carton is then carried by a second
to an automatic conveyor, which transports it from the building
wherein its contents have been made, to the Terminal Building, a
quarter of a mile away, from which it is shipped to Larkin customers. The transportation
from building to building is entirely automatic, and the carton is not touched by hands
during the journey.

Larkin White Borax Naphtha Soap is transferred direct from the machine which
stamps the name on the plain bar, to the Wrapping-Machine illustrated on the
opposite page. These machines have a capacity of 50,000 bars of soap a
day — a striking evidence of the demand for this excellent Laundry Soap.

Because of its permeating naphtha odor, White Borax Naphtha Soap
is not packed with other Products, but sent out in separate boxes of 50
bars each— a convenience which Larkin customers everywhere appreciate.

Larkin Co. is among the oldest and largest makers of soaps and other
cleansers in the country. And Larkin Laundry Soaps, like all Larkin
Products or Premiums, are covered by the comprehensive Larkin Guar¬
antee ‘ ‘Satisfaction— or Your Money Back.** They are of exceptional
merit, being wholesome, efficient, and reliable. Their very popularity is
proof positive of the unqualified endorsement of American housewives.

Page 35

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Boraxine
Cartons
coming from
Packaging
Machine

Machine Stamping Maid o’tbe Mist Soap

Weighing, Packaging and Labeling Scouring Powder

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N manufacturing Boraxine Soap Powder the boiling and “crutching” processes
are the same as in making Laundry Soap, but from the “crutchers” Boraxine
is conveyed to another section of the factory, and there forms into semi-fluid
Boraxine. When cold it is broken up, and put into grinding-mills which have a
capacity of 60,000 lbs. of powder daily. From the grinding-mills, the
powder is conveyed to hoppers which feed the automatic filling and
-1 weighing machines. These machines are marvelously efficient. They
weigh out precisely 16 ounces of Boraxine, drop it into the carton, and fold down and
seal the top. The filled cartons then proceed to the wrapping-machine.

Maid o’ the Mist Bath Soap, by a process like that of White Borax Naphtha Soap,
is stamped and wrapped by machinery, as illustrated on the opposite page. Maid o' the
Mist Soap floats, and in medium or soft water gives a generous lather, suggesting the spirit
of the mighty waters at Niagara Falls from which its name was taken. It is an excellent
soap for the bath, and has found favor with Larkin customers everywhere.

The illustration on the right of the opposite page shows the machine which
weighs Larkin Scouring Powder, puts it into cartons, and affixes the wrapper.

The series of operations is largely automatic, hand-labor only being used twice —
first, in placing the empty cartons on the revolving belt which carries them
under the hopper, from which the powder is fed, and second, in operating a
machine which affixes the tops.

The illustrations opposite are a convincing proof of the Larkin maxim
“Save all cost that adds no value , ” the consistent observance of which, in
every ph ase of the business, enables Larkin Co. to give first-class goods, and
a Premium in addition — all for the price of the goods alone !

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Page 37

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Toilet Soap Plodding-Machine

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HE process of manufacturing Toilet Soap is quite different from that used in
making Laundry Soap. Not only are the ingredients different, but the soap
goes direct from the kettle to storage vats, omitting the crutching process.
From the vats, it is pumped to Drying-Machines, which it enters in
a paste-like form, and emerges in chips, hot and dry, ready
for the milling process. The Milling-Machine distributes
the perfume uniformly throughout the whole soap stock,

and its huge granite rollers, between which the dried chips pass, give the soap
that smooth, even texture and fineness characteristic of good Toilet Soaps.

From the Milling-Machine the perfumed ribbons of soap go to Plod-
ding-Machines where they are passed between parallel revolving screws,
and forced out in a continuous semi-solid bar. The bar is cut into sections,
placed on a sliding table, and cut into tablets. The tablets are pressed,
stamped, and packed and wrapped by hand as illustrated below.

Since France was originally the birthplace of choice Toilet Soaps,
Larkin Co. imported the finest type of Toilet Soap-making machinery
direct from Paris, so that Larkin Toilet Soaps are equal to the best
domestic or foreign toilet soaps on the market. They are made here in
Buffalo by well-paid labor, and are scientifically saponified, medicated,
and warranted thoroughly pure and genuine.

The Company makes 24 different kinds of Toilet Soaps, including
daintily-wrapped and delicately-perfumed tablets, shaving soaps and
cream, and a Mechanics’ Paste Soap which quickly removes grease and
stains from the hands of manual workers. Truly there is a Larkin
Toilet Soap to suit every preference and every need!

*Page 39

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Page 40

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\RKIN CO. makes most of its muslin underwear, dresses and other dry¬
goods sundries. Our small illustrations on page 40 show how layers of
cloth are spread on long tables and electrically cut. The large picture of
the “Machine-room* ’ illustrates the light and airy workrooms, and their
splendid equipment. They have a capacity of several thousand
finished garments daily. The variety of Lingerie, House Dresses, etc.
manufactured here, and the splendid values offered, can only be ap¬
preciated by a study of our Catalog. Adjoining the “Machine-room** is the Embroidery
Department where special machines embroider the material from which Larkin gar¬
ments are made.

We commend our illustrations to housewives everywhere, as evidence of the condi¬
tions under which Larkin employees work, and the light, wholesome, sanitary workrooms
in which Larkin Products are made. Mrs. Bright said that the evident contentment of
the workers, and the strictly hygienic conditions, are in striking contrast to the sweat-shop
atmosphere too often associated with the manufacture of articles of feminine wear. She
also said: “After seeing these dainty articles made at such reasonable prices, it seems fool¬
ish for any woman to make them by hand.*’

The tremendous demand for Larkin Hosiery has required the installation of ap¬
proximately one hundred of the latest model knitting machines, like the one shown at
the right of this page. Each machine has 200 needles, caking 280 stitches per minute
or 56,000 stitches per minute just for one machine. Each machine makes a pair of
stockings every eight minutes.

No more conclusive testimony can be given to the value and worth of Larkin Hosiery
than the rapid growth of this department. It seems as though each satisfied customer
helped to spread the tidings of the superiority of Larkin Hosiery for men and women, boys
and girls. To keep pace with this rapidly increasing demand bids fair to be a severe task.

Page 41

Filling
cans of
White
Enamel

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AINTS and Varnishes are very important Larkin Products. Prolonged time-
tests have demonstrated the reliability of Larkin Paints, and the strength
of their colors. Testing-fences are maintained, on which to thoroughly test
paints under the severest possible weather conditions. The fact that the
Company uses its own paints exclusively throughout its whole plant
is an all-sufficient proof of quality, to one who has been through
the Factories.

The materials are carefully mixed by experienced workers, passed by gravity
to the grinding-mills, and thence to “agitators” where they are thinned to the proper
consistency, and given the correct shades. Paints are filled directly into cans from
the agitators, which are constantly kept in motion, to insure a uniform composition
of the paint filled in each can.

Frequently, Larkin customers write saying that they have used Larkin
Paints exclusively in re-decorating their homes — both interior and exterior. And
the painters employed to do the work have often voluntarily expressed their
appreciation of the high quality of Larkin Paints and Varnishes. For instance,

Mrs. M. G. Jones, Fords Store, Md., says : “I have had my house painted
with Larkin Paint, and employed a first-class painter to do the work. He
says it is the best Paint he ever spread.” Another customer, Mrs. David J.

Middleton of Ed wards vi lie. Pa., writes : “I believe your Paints are the best
on the market.” Still another customer in Wilmington, Delaware, states:

“Our house is beautiful. My son says he never used better Paint. The
painter that helped says it is very nice.”

A Paint Color Card showing the different varieties and colors of Larkin
Paints is given to visitors, or mailed to inquirers, on request.

Page 43

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ITH over 600 Products, and over fifteen hundred Premiums, how
do you know that each shipment contains all the different articles
ordered, in just the right quantity ? asked Mrs. Bright.

Because this question puzzles many Larkin customers, we

took Mrs. Bright to the Larkin Terminal Building. This building

is not usually included in the Trip Thru The Larkin Factories, as

pur visitors usually find sufficient that is interesting and instruct¬
ive in the Factories alone.

1 he Larkin Terminal Building is a huge structure devoted to assembling,
packing and shipping Larkin orders. When the order has been checked and
verified in the Administration Building, it is passed via the Shipping Office
to the sixth floor of the Terminal Building, where a box-man places upon an
automatic roller conveyor a box of the size which the office calculated is
required. A picture on the opposite page shows the box starting on its
gravity journey on the rollers of the automatic conveyor.

The picture on the right, opposite, shows how the conveyor carries the box
between two rows of booths in which are experienced selectors, each of whom
in turn places in the box such goods as the order demands of her booth. Thus
the box descends to the third floor, illustrated in the large picture opposite.

Here it is taken from the conveyor, and all its contents carefully
checked with the order and then finally packed, and returned to the conveyor,
ready to be closed, and weighed. Larkin Co. not only guarantees its
Products and Premiums to satisfy, but also unconditionally guarantees their
safe arrival at the home of the purchaser. This exceptional care taken in
filling orders explains why Larkin customers seldom have cause to complain.

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Page 45

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pictures on the opposite page will convey a slight impression of the activity
always to be found on the train floor of the great Larkin Terminal Building,
As the strongly-packed, carefully-addressed boxes descend on the conveyor
from the busy departments above, they are placed on trucks and wheeled into
freight-cars. Connections are maintained with all the different rail¬
roads and, with our own private tracks, the shipping facilities are
unexcelled.

The illustation at the top of page 46 shows some of the freight-cars being loaded.

A special engine, “Larkin The First,” shown on page 48, is used for hauling freight-
cars to the mam-lines. Weights are carefully scrutinized. The Company’s side-tracks
have scales on which every empty car, after being cut out from the train, is weighed.

Inward and outward shipments are kept entirely separate on different tracks.

The power by which the Larkin F actories are run is applied electrically,
enough current being generated in the Power-House to furnish light for a city of
25,000 inhabitants. There are 20 safety boilers of 500 horse-power each, and so
complete are the mechanical devices for handling the immense quantity of coal
needed for these boilers and the cinders resulting from its consumption, that the
work is done by two men. One operates the great crane that lifts the coal from
the pit into which it is dumped from the coal-cars and conveys it to a high bin
at the rear of the Power-House. From the bin the coal descends into a trolley
car that runs above the different furnaces. This car s capacity is 23^2 tons.

The furnaces are stoked automatically and as the coal is consumed, the cinders
drop into a car that runs to the cinder pit. When the pit becomes full, it is
emptied by the electric crane.

■ . •

.

Page 47

ask the reader to turn again to pages five and s-
id Mrs. Bright made the acquaintance of the L
an } The incidents set forth therein are true to

for the Larkin Plan has spread
largely by the spoken word of its satisfied
casually-given Larkin Catalog which made
sd with us. Have you a Larkin Catalog ?

J. life — two million times true to life

— - 1 over the continent,

customers. It was a
Mrs. Bright acquaint

There is a copy for you.

The Larkin Catalog is freely given to visitors
requests it. If you do not possess a copy
“Send me your Catalog/*

And when it reaches you, may we 1

Bright (page 5), “Send a $10 Larkin (

now buy at stores, and examine them c;
are all right, we*ll send the
goods. We can’t lose anyway
take full advantage of the Larkin Factory-to
that we know it to be good/*

and indeed to everyone whc
, all you need do is mail us a postal saying
It will be sent to you promptly.

re bid you keep in mind the words of Mr.
a Order. Select only the things you
l carefully, when they come. If they
if they are not, well return the

And later (page 7), “Let us

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618 A701

Page 48

This page was blank in the original document.

Posted on: January 18, 2020

Edited by: Brian D. Szafranski
Elma New York USA

Please do not reprint or republish
the document for commercial gain.

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